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(No Model.)

vT. SETTLB.

GAR GOUPLING. No. 391,651. Paten-ted Oct. 23, 1888;

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UNITED STATES PATnT rtree@ THOMAS SETTLE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO GEORGE M. KOPER, OF SAME PLAGE.

CAR-C OUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,651, dated October 23, 1888. Application filed July 2, i888. Serial No. 278,785. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS SETTLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pcnnsylvania,haveinvented certain Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of car-couplings which are adapted to couple cars of different heights and in which the coupling is effected without the necessity of the brakeman going between the cars, my invention consisting of certain features of construction in a coupling of this class, all as fully set forth and claimed hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of part of the end of a freight-car provided with my improved coupling. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on a larger scale, showing parts of two cars coupled together; and Fig. 3, a plan view of the coupling,partly in section.

A represents part of the car, which may be of the usual construction, the draw-head being supported by, but free to slide laterally in, the hanger x, carried by the sills of the car, and said draw-head being used in connection with a spring, I, which serves either'as a bumper or a draw-spring, in the usual manner. The draw-head, however, is of peculiar construction, comprising top and bottom plates, B B, connected at the rear, and opposite side plates,V DD, hung at their rear ends to pins b, carried by the top and bottom plates of the head, the front ends of said side plates being provided with projections E, of such character as to form a vertically-divided bumper-head with central vertical slot, j, asshown in Fig. 1.

To bearings in the opposite side plates, D, of the draw-head is adapted a shaft, Gr,which extends laterally in both directions to such an extent that handles g at the outer ends of the shaft may be conveniently manipulated by the brakeman without the necessity of going between the cars. rl`he shaft G carries a coupling-hook consisting of a bar or shank, H,with spear-head H', having abrupt shoulders h at the rear.

On the inner side of each of the side plates, D, of the draw-head is a plate, d, in which is an inclined slot7 e, terminating at each end in straight or longitudinal portions e' e2, and to the slot of each plate is adapted an arm, a, ca rried by a shaft, F, which is adapted to bearings in the side plates, D, of the draw-head and passes through suitable longitudinal slots in the sills of the car, the outer ends of the shaft being supported by elongated brackets w and terminating in weighted arms f, the slots in the sills and the elongated brackets at the ends ofthe shaft permitting the longitudinal movement ofthe draw-head when the latter is bumped or subjected to draft.

The drawhead is normally closed, as shown in Fig. l and by full lines in Fig. 3, the arms a of the shaft F occupying the straight portions e' at the front ends ofthe slots e, and thusv serving to lock the draw-head in the closed position, the arms being retained in this position by reason of the weighted ends f of the same'.

The coupling-hook H may be allowed to hang down from the draw-head, as shown in Fig. l and at the right-hand side of Fig. 2, or it may be lifted so as to project through the slot j of the draw-head and engage with the draw-head of an adjacent car, as shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 2. In effecting the coupling, the draw-head, in which the couplinghook is pendent, is separated by manipulating the shaft F so as to cause the arms c of the same to traverse the inclined slot e, and thereby force the opposite sides, D, of the draw-head apart, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, thus permitting the enlarged head H of the opposite coupling-hook to pass between the projections E of the draw-head. The shaft F is then allowed toresume its normal position, so as to close the opposite sides of the draw-head and lock them in the closed position, the proj eetions E closing behind the shoulders h of the coupling-hook, so as to engage with said shoulders and couple the cars together, as shown by full lines in Fig. 3. The cars may be coupled, however,when the bumper-heads E are in contact with each other, by separating both drawheads and then swinging one of the couplinghooks upward so that its shank is in position to engage with the projections E of the opposite draw-head when the latter is closed.

If desired, one of the side plates, D, of the draw-head may have an inwardly-projecting perforated plate, y, at the top, and the other IOO side plate may have a similar inwardly-projecting perforated plate, y', at the bottom, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, these plates being adapted for the reception of an ordinary coupling-pin, so thata car having my improved coupling can be connected to another car by the ordinary link and pin; or the enlarged head I-I of the coupling-hook may have an opening, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, for the reception of a coupling-pin.

It will be seen that with the above-described coupling there is no necessity for the brakeman going between the cars, either in coupling or luncoupling the same, and that a Wide range of difference in the height of the coupling-heads of adjoining cars is possible without interfering with the proper action of the coupling.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The draw-head having opposite pivoted side plates provided at their outer ends with projections forming a slotted bumper head divided from top to bottom, all substantially as specified.

2. Ihe combination of the draw-head having pivoted side plates,with projections forming a divided and slotted bumper-head, and a swinging hook for engaging with the bumperhead of an adjoining coupling, all lsubstantially as specified.

' 3. The combination of the draw-head havving opposite pivoted side plates with projections forming a divided bumper-head, plates carried by said side plates of the draw-head and having cam-slots therein, and ashaft having arms adapted to said cam-slots and serving to open and close the draw-head, all sub stantially as specified.

4. The combination of the pivoted side plates of the draw-head, plates carried thereby and having cam-slots with straight locking portions, and ashaft having arms adapted to said slots and serving to lock the draw-head in the closed position, all substantially as speciiied.

5. rIhe combination of the pivoted sides of the draw-head, the plates thereon having camslots, and the operating shaft having arms adapted to said slots and having its outer ends weighted, all substantially as specified.

6. The draw-head having opposite pivoted side plates,with projections forming a divided bumper-head, each of said plates having a project-ing perforated plate for the reception of an ordinary coupling-pin, all substantially as speciiied.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS SETTLE.

Witnesses:

EDWARD M. RILEY, HARRY SMITH. 

